


The Boy in the Attic

by DisposableVillain



Category: Original Work
Genre: 404 cishet not found, Angst, Child Abuse, Cult, Drugs, F/F, F/M, Gay, Inspired by Fanfiction, Lesbian, M/M, Pain, Religion, Romance, Self-Harm, Trans, cross-dressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-11-21 11:11:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11356293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisposableVillain/pseuds/DisposableVillain
Summary: How to describe Lucilius King? Funny. Kind. Trapped. Lucil is locked in the attic of his house with his siblings - just as he has been every day. And now, he doesn't know which is scarier. The idea of asking his new neighbour for help, or being stuck in the attic forever. Content Warnings: Abuse, r*pe, blood, gore, bullying, drug abuse, mentions of self-harm, character death, body mutilation.





	1. Chapter 01 | The Face at the Window

**Hey, guys. I'm Elliot, for those of you who are new to my stories. This is a story I've been working on since early 2015. I published it on wattpad as a Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction first but now I'm going back through it and editing it with the help of my friend and beta reader** **fitzyfoop** **(you guys should check her out, she's great). I'll do my best to do specific content warnings for each chapter. If you guys see something in a chapter that you think should have a content warning that I haven't mentioned, please PM me. I hope you enjoy the first edited chapter!**

**Content Warnings:** Child abuse, blood.

* * *

Kyle leaned his head against the cool window pane as snow floated down from the cloudy sky. He loved days like this – snowy days. Really, he did. And he always had a great view of the street.

His bedroom was the converted attic of a bookshop that his grandfather owned, and a wide-angled, slanting window made the road look like a large model of a winter wonderland in a Christmas pageant. Like something out of Oliver Twist.

But when it prevented him from going outside, it irritated him. He wasn't able to take good pictures for his Instagram account, and he wasn't able to visit his friends. He didn't even get to miss school because they were already on winter holidays.

He, Mehen, and Artemis had already had to reschedule the movie marathon three times because of the snow, but it finally seemed to be letting up enough for their latest plan to work. Artemis' house, two hours.

Kyle yawned, stretched, and looked the other way out of the window. He had seen the moving van pull in late the previous night when he had stayed up reading a new book. His grandfather had promised that he could welcome the neighbours after they had settled in, but he knew that the older man would just go while he was with Mehen and Artemis.

It didn't really matter, anyway. There was no car, so Kyle assumed no one was home.

He looked again and paused. The houses on the street were all built the same, so his bedroom window was level with the neighbours' attic window.

And he could just see someone peeking at him through a set of curtains. Kyle gave a wave.

The boy hesitated before stepping between the curtains and the window. He waved back.

Kyle squinted, trying to make him out properly through the snow and against the white curtains behind him.

His white-blonde fringe hung over sharp grey eyes, and the sides seemed to be cut tight. His jaw was narrow and long, and his skin was pale.

Kyle grinned at him and looked around his room. Marker, marker. He found one and grabbed his refill pad, scrawling a message and pressing it against the window.

**Hi; I'm Kyle Foster.**

The boy's eyes scanned the message, and he disappeared for a minute before returning with a message of his own on a similar pad.

**Nice to meet you. I'm Lucil King.**

Kyle smiled.  **You too. How old are you?**

**Seventeen. How about you?**

Kyle felt his smile grow.  **Cool; you're only a year older than me! :)**

He saw Lucil grin.  **So you're sixteen then?**

Kyle nodded. The question wasn't a surprise. He was a stick of a boy, an inch below average height for his age. What was a surprise was that Lucil hadn't questioned his age.  **Want to play twenty questions? I'm bored.** Kyle watched as Lucil read the message and met Kyle's gaze before shrugging.  **Okay. What's your favourite food?**

**Curry; I love spicy food. Favourite band?**

**I like Set It Off. ^-^ Where are you from?**

**My mom's from Italy, but I was born in America and she died a few years ago. I speak fluent Italian though.**

**I'm really sorry about your mom. It's cool that you know Italian though. Do you have any siblings?**

Kyle saw Lucil roll his eyes at the question.  **Yeah, I've got a psychotic brother, and a sister that drives me insane.** Kyle giggled. Lucil glanced over his shoulder and scribbled another message.  **Sorry, but I need to go.**

Kyle's eyes widened and waved to keep him there.  **Wait, can I have your number? It'd be easier to text you than do this until the snow lets up.**

Lucil hesitated before nodding. He scribbled the numbers onto the paper, sloppier than before, and held the pad up for Kyle to see. Kyle grabbed his phone and took a picture of it. The next second, Lucil was gone.

Kyle quickly added Lucil to his contacts and text him.

 **Hey :) It's Kyle.** He put his phone away once the text was sent. Texting more than once would be pointless.

He would just wait for Lucil to respond.

He was at Artemis' before he heard his phone vibrate.

"Who's that?" Artemis asked, glancing at Kyle's phone over his shoulder as he took it out.

"Oh, is it your boyfriend?" Mehen teased, poking Kyle.

Kyle felt his cheeks burn - even though there was no reason why they should. "I already told you; he's my neighbour!"

The dark-haired boy snickered. "Doesn't mean he can't be your boyfriend."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "He's  _not_  my boyfriend."

"He could be."

"Mehen, leave Kyle alone," Artemis sighed, cradling a cup of coffee as she pulled her legs up onto the couch.

Mehen pouted but sat back down in the armchair. "Fine. What film should we watch?"

"There's that new Disney film? I can get it."

"Nah, they just make a mockery of LGBT people with that – I don't want to watch it again." Mehen stuck out his tongue.

"Aside from LeFou, it was good! Emma Watson is amazing," Artemis protested.

"In bed."

"Mehen!"

"What? It was a joke!"

"I'm sure it was."

"You're the one who has a celebrity crush on her."

"That is completely irrelevant and you know it!"

Kyle tuned them out as he glanced at his phone.

**Hey, Kyle. How are you?**

**I'm good. I'm just about to watch a movie marathon with my friends.**

**Want to trade places?**

**Why?**

**The two psychos keep messing with my stuff.**

Kyle snorted.  **No, I think I'll watch movies instead.**

"No! We are not watching another horror film, Artemis!"

 **Never mind, we can trade,**  he quickly typed after his last message.  **I don't like horror and we're going to end up watching one.**

**Deal. I'll send the psychos over to your place.**

"Well we're not watching another romance film," Artemis decided. "They're mindless, boring, generalised, and heteronormative."

"God, keep your gay agenda away from me."

"I'm serious, Mehen! No romance!"

"How about we try to make a compromise?" Kyle cut in.

"Okay. No horror, no romance." Mehen folded his arms.

"Please?"

"No more horror! You promised us no more after  _The Conjuring_!"

"In fairness," Kyle agreed, looking over at her, "he has a point."

Artemis looked down. "Okay. I'm sorry... I just saw the horror films as something the three of us could do alone, since the others won't even indulge me in watching them, and we don't spend as much time together anymore as we used to because of school and everything." She sighed. "I guess I was wrong." Kyle could already see Mehen's resolve crumbling. Artemis turned to walk into the kitchen, her tone heavy. "I'll get some snacks. You two decide which film we should watch..." She trudged into the kitchen.

Mehen's scowl broke. "Artemis, wait!" Artemis paused and glanced back at him. "We'll watch  _Vertigo_ with you..."

Kyle could hear the smile in Artemis' voice. "Great! You put the film on and I'll get the snacks."

When Artemis left and Mehen turned around, Kyle shook his head. "Mehen, you cracked. Like an  _egg_!"

"Shut up." Mehen groaned and dropped back into his seat. "I'm weak, I know. Don't draw attention to it."

Kyle chuckled and glanced at his phone once more.

**In any case, enjoy the marathon. Maybe the horror won't be as bad as you think.**

Kyle smiled as Artemis returned and Mehen turned the film on.  **I'm sure it will be, but thanks.**

* * *

Lucil smiled.  **No problem.** He slipped his phone between the couch cushions. Kyle wouldn't be responding for a while, and there was no use in keeping it out. It would only cause trouble if it was seen.

"Who was that?"

Lucil looked up. Naomi was draped over the back of the couch, her head by his shoulder.

"Neighbour," Lucil replied. "His name's Kyle."

Naomi raised an eyebrow, a smirk sliding onto her freckled features. "Is that so?" She glanced back over her shoulder. "Hey, Menes! Lucil's texting our 'neighbour'!"

"Oh really?" The dark-skinned teen cackled as he sauntered over to his older siblings. "Let me see!"

"I'm not letting you read my texts." Lucil shrugged. "Find amusement elsewhere."

"I'll give you a video of Naomi running from a spider," Menes bribed.

"You  _what_?" Naomi yelled, glaring at Menes.

Menes just snickered and produced his phone, flashing Naomi a glimpse of the video. The red-haired girl was in clear sight, ducking behind the couch as a long-legged spider crawled across the floor.

Lucil snorted. It would have been perfect blackmail material – if they had anyone to send it to.

"Menes." Naomi's eyes narrowed. "Delete the video."

"Not going to happen."

"Delete the video or I'll break your camera." Naomi grabbed the camera from the table.

Menes's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Believe me, it would give me  _great_  pleasure," she snarled.

Menes swallowed. He half held out the phone, his arm tense to draw back in an instant if Naomi tried to snatch it. "Trade?"

Naomi nodded, half holding out the camera as well. They switched at the same time.

Naomi pressed a few buttons and the video was deleted. Menes checked his camera to make sure that nothing had happened to it, despite having been watching Naomi the whole time she had it.

Lucil shook his head, turning away from Naomi to smirk at Menes. "That camera will be the death of you."

Menes shrugged. "Well it distracted you."

"What?" Lucil blinked and looked back at his sister. The redhead was holding his phone and darting backwards away from the couch.

"There's nothing interesting here," Naomi complained as she swiped through the texts to Kyle.

"Then let's make something interesting and text him ourselves!" Menes laughed.

Lucil leapt up, his eyes narrow. "Give me the phone!"

His two siblings glanced at each other before smirking. "Nah," they decided in unison.

Lucil lunged forward and grabbed Naomi by her t-shirt. The younger girl just smirked and tossed Lucil's phone to Menes.

He released Naomi and chased after Menes, but the other leapt onto a chair and held it out of his reach. "Reach, Malfoy, reach!" Menes cackled as Lucil jumped for the phone.

Lucil gritted his teeth and pulled him off the chair, knocking them both over. The crash echoed through the attic. Naomi tensed but neither of the boys seemed to notice the noise as they wrestled for the phone. Menes managed to slide it across the floor to Naomi.

She caught it, opened the message box, and sent Kyle's number to herself and Menes. Lucil struggled to his feet with his brother clinging to his legs to slow him down. "Naomi-"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to text your boyfriend anything he could misinterpret." Naomi rolled her eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"So he's not a boy who's your friend?" Menes raised an eyebrow as he released him and stood.

Lucil shot him a glare. "I'm not in the mood for you. You know full well what I meant. Now give me my phone."

"No can do, Malfoy!" Menes grabbed the phone from Naomi and they split – Naomi to the door, and Menes to the bathroom.

"You already have the number, so give it back!" Lucil lunged for Menes again. The other gritted his teeth as Lucil pushed him against the wall and grabbed his phone. "Gotcha."

"Spoil sport," Menes muttered, rubbing his head.

Lucil opened his mouth, and a lock clicked. All three froze as the door crashed into the wall it was connected to.

A tall, muscular man stood in the doorframe. Wild blonde hair scattered across a red face. Piercing blue eyes that demanded nothing short of absolute terror flickered between them. Richard King.

"I thought I made it very clear," he said, his voice low, clear, and concise, "that you were  _not_ to make noise." He stepped into the attic and slammed the door behind him. It rattled on its hinges.

Lucil's eyes flickered to Naomi. She tried to edge away from the door, but Richard grabbed her by the hem of her shirt, hauling her up.

Naomi hissed and clawed at his hands, teetering on her toes. "Let go!" Richard dropped her. Naomi landed heavily on her heels, and Richard used the opportunity to swing a hard punch at her.

Naomi didn't make a sound as she was flung back. Lucil caught her before she could hit the wall.

Her jaw ached but she glared up at Richard as he straightened himself. "Now... who was it that was making the noise?" He asked.

No one spoke.

"Either you tell me, or you all suffer."

"It was me." Naomi pulled away from Lucil. Her green eyes were hard. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Naomi," Menes hissed – a warning.

Naomi didn't reply. Richard looked at her again. "Follow me."

Naomi didn't move. "What are you going to do about it?" Her voice didn't waver.

"Either you follow me now, or you all suffer."

Naomi gritted her teeth and took a step forward. Lucil caught her wrist, and Naomi turned. He met her gaze.

Naomi held it for a moment before pulling her wrist free and following Richard out of the attic.

Richard slammed the door closed and the lock clicked into place. All they could hear was footsteps walking downstairs, and even they wouldn't last long.

The basement was soundproof.

* * *

Halfway through the film, Kyle noticed that Artemis was distracted. It wouldn't have been unusual for her, if it hadn't been a horror film. One of her favourites, no less.

She sat staring at the wall above the television, dyed navy hair falling across her face as she propped her chin up with her hand.

Kyle frowned. "Art?" She jumped and turned. "You okay?"

Artemis didn't hesitate before nodding. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kyle shrugged. "I don't know. You just seemed a little zoned out."

Artemis shook her head. "No. No, I'm fine." She smiled and stood up. "I'm going to make myself some tea. Does anyone want anything?"

Mehen shook his head, eyes fixed on the screen, but Kyle nodded. "Could I have some too, please?"

"Sure." Artemis nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want me to pause it?" Mehen called after them.

"No; we can hear it in here," Kyle responded. They had all seen it before anyway. He turned to Artemis. "What's going on?"

Artemis blinked, her blue eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"You're distracted today. What's causing it?"

Artemis looked away. "Sorry for worrying you. I'm fine." She shrugged and turned on the kettle. "It just... turns out that my father isn't coming for Christmas after all."

Kyle bit his lip. The entire three-bedroomed house was already decorated, and she had planned a five-course dinner menu with Hunter that she had been preparing to cook herself.

"My mother isn't coming either. She told me a while ago though."

"Does your father know?"

"No, they stopped talking years ago." The kettle finished boiling. Artemis took two teabags from a box and dropped them into two of the three mugs already sitting on the counter. She poured the steaming water in and stirred it.

"Artemis, I-" Kyle paused.

Artemis took out the teabags and threw them in the bin. "Here's your tea," she mumbled, handing Kyle a mug.

Kyle set the mug back down on the counter and pulled Artemis into a hug. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "They're idiots for cancelling on you."

Artemis hesitated before returning the hug. "Thanks, Kyle."

"It's nothing." It really was. He hadn't done anything to warrant thanks. Why was Artemis even saying it?

But she smiled as they separated and Kyle picked up the mug again. "Come on; let's go back inside."

* * *

"I can't believe we didn't hear him come back." Menes punched one of the moth-eaten cushions on the moth-eaten couch.

Lucil didn't respond.

"We should know better by now."

Lucil didn't respond.

"Fuck, even if we thought he wasn't in the house, we should have known better. He always comes back and we can't just... mess around without expecting something to happen!"

Lucil didn't respond.

"Would you say something already?" Menes glared at him.

Lucil looked up at him. "What do you want me to say? You're doing nothing but ranting about things that we can't even do anything about."

"Anything!" Menes flopped onto the couch. "Anything is better than just talking to myself with you ignoring me!"

"You know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, right?"

"Oh please, we already know I'm mad." Menes shot him a toothy grin. Lucil turned away again and didn't respond. "You're an asshole." Menes let his head fall back against the couch cushions.

Lucil stood and made his way to the window, pulling back the curtain. He could see right across into Kyle's bedroom – his empty bedroom. He was probably still at the movie marathon.

Menes raised an eyebrow as he followed Lucil's gaze. "Is that where the shrimp lives?"

"You've never even seen him," Lucil muttered, "so you don't know how tall he is."

"Well he could be a shrimp."

"He's not that short."

"But you admit that he  _is_  short?"

"Why are you like this?" Lucil groaned, glancing at his younger brother.

Menes grinned and finger-gunned him. "I use humour as a self-defence mechanism."

Lucil shook his head and looked outside again. "You're unbelievable."

"Yeah, I love you too, Malfoy." Menes leaned back again. Then he sat bolt upright. "Kyle. You could ask Kyle for help."

Lucil tensed. "We tried that before." His voice was slow, low, and careful.

"Yeah, but that was in the country. This is the city." Menes jumped up and grabbed his phone off the small, rickety excuse that they had for a meal table. "Police are close; he wouldn't be able to hurt Kyle."

"Menes." Lucil cut him off. "He still has the gun." Menes paused. His phone slid out of his hand and back onto the table. He didn't pick it up again. "We can't afford to let innocent people get hurt because of us again. It would be-"

"Selfish. Right?" Menes croaked. His voice was strained and painful in his throat. "Why can't we be selfish? Just this once?" He shrugged. "Everyone is selfish sometimes. Why can't we be selfish now?" He already knew why.

But Lucil turned back to him. "Because if we  _are_  selfish now, it won't just be our lives in danger. It would be the exact same as last time."

Menes' movements were slow as he made his way over to Lucil. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. After a minute, he walked over to his mattress and lay down. "What happened to Riley and Felix wasn't our fault," he finally mumbled. "They were the ones that chose to get involved."

Lucil gritted his teeth. "We were the ones that got them involved," he forced out.

"It was their choice to help us." Menes folded his arms behind his head.

Lucil chose not to respond.

Silence filled the air until they could hear the footsteps. One pair heavy and firm, one light and uneven.

They tensed. Menes closed his eyes. Sleep was the best way to hide.

Lucil scanned the room for any sight of their phones. Nothing. Good. He sat down just as the lock clicked.

The door was thrown open, and Naomi was thrown down. Richard smirked as she hit the ground.

He glanced at Menes for a second before turning to Lucil. "Never," he spoke, quietly, "disobey me again."

He slammed the door shut behind him. Lucil and Menes waited until the footsteps began to fade before running over to Naomi.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Naomi forced herself up. She swayed but caught herself before either of her brothers could. Bruises, welts, and gashes covered her skin. Her tank top was in shreds, slowly being dyed red – darker than the drying blood on her arms, and still wet.

"Naomi, you're obviously not." It was Menes who spoke. He usually didn't. Not after a 'session'.

"If I say that I'm fine, then I'm fine." Naomi snapped her arm away from Menes when he tried to examine one of the wounds. "And I don't need your help." She whipped around and stormed into the small attic bathroom.

The lock clicked shut behind her and she let out a shaky breath. She leaned over the sink, clenching the sides so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Her back stung, her face throbbed, and her cuts burned. Slowly, she turned on the tap and splashed the water over her face. She picked up a facecloth and began to clean down the wounds on her arms. They still stung, but the burning wasn't as bad anymore.

She pulled off her tank top, and threw it in the bin, followed by her bra. She winced and did her best to wash the cuts on her back and chest that she could reach.

"I need a shirt," she called out to her brothers, unlocking the door. A few seconds later, the door was pushed open and a tanned hand reached in, passing her a t-shirt.

She pulled it on without replacing the bra and left the bathroom.

She ignored their gazes as she lay down on her mattress and stared at the ceiling, ignoring the pain. The silence was too loud, buzzing in her ears.

Menes broke it, and his voice was too loud. "Do you think we'll ever escape?"

She didn't respond.

"Eventually," Lucil mumbled, looking out the window at God knows what.

Naomi snorted and turned on her side. Her back hurt when she lay on it, and when she moved. "Don't lie, Lucil. We're never getting out of here."

* * *

It was late when Kyle got home. His grandfather had given up on waiting for him. Kyle had told him not to stay up, but he always did.

He felt a pang of guilt, but his grandfather was the one that insisted he go out and assured him he could stay as late as he wanted. He trudged up to his bedroom, checking his phone.

There was one new message from Lucil. He smiled softly.

**Hey, Kyle. How was the marathon?**

**It was good. We ended up watching a bunch of horror films though. I don't think Mehen will sleep for a week. But he got us to watch some romance and action too.**

**That sucks. Well, the romance anyway. The action sounds good.**

Kyle couldn't help but laugh.  **I actually liked the romance more than the action.**

**Why? They're mindless films with the same basic plots.**

**Well actions are mindless films with the same heroes and bad guys. No plot line. (Also that's exactly what Artemis said about romance.)**

Kyle managed to finish brushing his teeth and changing into pyjamas before he heard his phone buzz again.

**Great minds think alike. But that's a lie! One of these days, you need to binge watch all of Marvel's movies. The heroes are actually pretty complex – except Tony, he's just a rich asshole. But aside from him!**

Kyle hesitated before replying. I'll think about it.  **Hey, maybe we could watch them together!**

He didn't receive a reply, and after a few minutes of binge-posting on Facebook, he checked the time. No wonder. Two thirty.

He yawned, stretched, and pulled the blankets over him, curling up into a warm ball of comfort.

He didn't wake to his phone screen lighting up with the silent notification of a new text from Lucil.

**That sounds good, Chiaro.**

* * *

**Oh wow. I actually haven't touched this in ages so I'd forgotten how bad it gets. You guys are in for some gore. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. If you liked it, I'd really appreciate it if you commented. See you next time, Murdering Majestors.**


	2. Chapter 02 | #seeyoulater

**Hey, guys. Wow, I uploaded this a lot sooner than planned. Still, sorry for the wait. I'm doing a lot of stories atm, on top of the leaving cert (this big, scary Irish exam that determines your entire future with no hope of escape), so my uploads will be sporadic this year. Still, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**CW:**  Waterboarding, suffocating, disassociation (not much), mentions of murder.

* * *

As always when he woke up, Kyle had to dedicate a certain amount of time to not getting up before he could actually get up – most of which time he spent on the phone.

He glanced over the text from Lucil and smiled, then opened one from one of his friends.

**Yo, anything new on the Christmas party?**

Kyle chewed his lip. It was his turn to decide where the party was to be held, but he hadn't exactly pinned it down yet. Then again-

**Yeah, I think so. Art's parents aren't able to come anymore so we could try to hold it at her house.**

As he waited for Shane's response, he flicked through Facebook and shared a few articles.

**Okay, great! I'll tell the others we're planning a surprise party for her!**

Kyle read it twice before he processed it. He sat up.  **Shane, I stg don't you dare tell the others; she hates surprises!**

Too late. Moments after sending it, the text came in from Mehen. **So what's going on with the surprise party at Art's on Saturday?**

Kyle groaned and flopped back onto his pillow. After a minute, he pulled together the energy to respond.  **There's no surprise party.**

**But Shane just text me saying there was one?**

**Kyle ran a hand through his hair. That's because Shane hates me as much as Art hates surprises. No surprises.**

**Then how are we meant to have it?**

Kyle stared at the phone for a moment.  **We tell her. We just tell her.**

**But there's no fun in that!**

**Mehen, you know what she's like – she likes planning things. She likes when she knows what's happening. We're telling her that we're planning a party at her house and that's it.**

Kyle went into Facebook again for a few minutes, trying to ignore the buzz of Mehen's text coming in. This only lasted for a few moments, and he clicked into it.

**Okay, okay, we tell her. Should I bring anything?**

**Not until she says it's actually okay for us to have the party, but maybe just some sweets.**

**What, no alcohol?**

Kyle ignored that one. He dragged himself out of bed and went through his usual morning routine, even though he didn't need to leave the house for another hour or two.

His grandfather was already working when he went downstairs. "Do you need any help?"

His grandfather smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine Kyle – it's a slow morning. Freddie should be coming in for her shift soon enough."

Kyle bit his tongue. She should have been there at nine. She knew his grandfather wasn't able to work. "Have you eaten?"

"Don't worry about me."

"I'll make breakfast." Kyle went back upstairs into the house and checked the fridge.

He pulled out the readymade breakfasts his grandfather had been told he had to eat every day and heated it in the microwave. As he waited, he checked his phone. Mehen had text again.

**So that's a yes on the vodka?**

Kyle sighed.  **No. That's a very big no on the vodka.**

**#spoilsport**

**Will you please stop using hashtags?**

**#hashtag #seeyoulater #attherink #iceskating**

**I hate you so much.**

**#youloveme #winkyface**

The microwave beeped and Kyle left the conversation. There was no talking to Mehen when he started that. He would be in luck if he wasn't subjected to spoken hashtags for the rest of the day.

* * *

Lucil's eyes flashed open when he heard a creak beside his mattress. He glared up at Menes. "What?"

"It's midday." Menes set a glass of water on the floor beside him. "Time to get up."

Lucil groaned and rubbed sleep out of his eyes. "That for me?"

"Yup." Menes rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"You were going to pour it over me if I didn't wake up?"

"I resent that." Menes frowned.

"But were you?"

After a moment, Menes looked away. "Maybe."

Lucil shook his head, trying not to laugh. It would only encourage his brother. "You're terrible." He threw off the blanket and stood up, stretching.

His eyes landed on Naomi. He could only see the back of her head from where he was standing, so he moved a little closer. She didn't acknowledge him, sitting with folded arms and staring out of the window.

"She's been like that all morning," Menes mumbled. "You know the video she made me delete?" Lucil nodded. "I had a back-up of it and I showed it to her, and she didn't even blink."

Lucil chewed his lip. "Really?"

Menes nodded and pulled out his phone. He clicked into the video. "See?"

Lucil let out a breath and walked closer to Naomi. She didn't react as he sat beside her, but the second he touched her arm, she flinched away.

Not again. "Naomi?"

Naomi swallowed and looked over at him. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Lucil asked, his tone clear and slow.

Naomi looked outside again. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Lucil tried to catch his sister's gaze. "I think we both know that's not true."

Menes leaned over the back of the couch, his head beside Naomi's shoulder. "You can tell us, Nao." Naomi just shook her head, not deigning to give either of them anything more than that. Menes gritted his teeth. "I'm going to kill him."

Naomi didn't even look at him. "Didn't you already try that?"

Menes blinked a few times. "You knew about it?"

"Of course we did," she sneered. "Why do you think he's still alive? Do you think he would have died from an overdose of Panadol? No! Because that shit doesn't work."

Oh no. Arguments with Naomi weren't good when she was disassociating.

"But I-"

"And do you really think that he just happened to leave his gun out?" She cut in. "No. He was waiting for one of us to do something stupid so he could punish us."

"You don't-"

"You've seen what he can do. He could have disarmed you in an instant. He didn't accidentally leave the door unlocked."

Menes clenched his fists. "You told him."

"I'm not stupid." Naomi looked outside again. "I just put it back in his safe."

"Actually-" Menes whipped around to see Richard standing at the open door. "-I think you'll find that you have told me, Naomi."

Lucil saw her face pale, but she didn't move. Lucil moved to stand in front of Menes as Richard walked closer.

His father frowned at him. "Step aside, Lucilius."

"Menes didn't do anything," Lucil protested.

"You call trying to kill his father  _not doing anything_?" Richard asked.

Menes took a step back. "You're not my father," he snarled.

Richard's eyes fixed on him. "I see you still need a few lessons about respect." He tried to move around Lucil, but the latter moved with him so he was always between his father and brother.

"Lucil. Stop." Naomi still wasn't looking at them.

Richard smirked. "It seems she's finally learned her lesson." Lucil glared at him as he looked over at Menes. "Now, are you ready to come downstairs? Or are you willing to watch Lucil get hurt because of you again?"

Lucil tried to catch Menes' wrist, but his brother stepped out from behind him. "You don't need to go," he protested.

Menes just lowered his head and walked over to Richard. "Good boy," the man purred. He grabbed Menes' wrist and yanked him out of the attic. The door slammed and locked behind them.

Lucil rounded on Naomi. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did. I told you to stop."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

Naomi pushed herself up off the couch. "I know what you meant. And I didn't say anything because it was Menes' fault. Not mine."

Lucil shook his head. "What did he do to you?"

"It's none of your business." She glared at the floor. "And I won't be covering for you again like I did yesterday."

"You didn't have to!" Lucil protested.

"If I didn't, who would have?" She tried to meet his gaze, but only managed to look up as far as his nose.

Lucil shook his head. "Covering for us isn't your job, but you don't have to tell him what we do!"

"I didn't." Naomi walked over to her mattress. "It wasn't my fault he was there. It was Menes' fault for not hearing him."

* * *

Artemis' feet dragged as she walked towards the ice rink. It was nice of Kyle to try, but she just really didn't feel up to it. She wanted her family there – usually, she'd be happy that they weren't, but it was Christmas.

Artemis forced a smile as she approached her friends. She could at least try to enjoy this and the Christmas party.

"Art!"

Artemis stumbled backwards as a blur of pink hair and gold jewellery tackled her into a hug. "Mehen!"

"He's clingy today," Kyle sighed, looking somewhere between amused and exasperated. Artemis had a feeling that she looked the same way.

"Sorry." He didn't look it, grinning as he pulled back. "I'm excited."

"I can see that," Artemis laughed. "You got your hair dyed again?"

Mehen nodded, pastel pink curls bouncing. "Like it?"

Artemis smiled. "It suits you."

Mehen looked over his shoulder. "Art likes it too, Shane, so shut up!"

"I never said she wouldn't! I said she would because she's a girl!" Artemis and Mehen both glared at him. He just laughed. "I'm kidding, I never said that. Ky, back me up."

"You got yourself into this one," Kyle snorted.

Artemis sighed and looked over at Mehen again. She frowned. "Why aren't you wearing a coat?"

Mehen shrugged, dressed in only a t-shirt, a light hoodie, and sweatpants. "Not cold."

"Are you kidding me?" The rest of the group had joined them and Charlotte frowned at Mehen. "It's  _snowing_."

"But it's not cold." Mehen shrugged again.

"I'm with Mehen on this one," Kyle commented. He wore about the same amount of layers as Mehen.

"Boys," Charlotte huffed, drawing her coat closer around her. "Can we go in? I'm pretty sure once we start skating we'll warm up."

They began to migrate inside. "It's a pity Dimitri couldn't make it," Kyle commented.

"Actually, I was talking to him yesterday," Shane admitted. "He should be coming with Janet in about an hour – just in time for-"

Dave elbowed Shane in the stomach, cutting him off. Shane groaned, doubling over as Artemis frowned. "In time for what?"

"Nevermind that." Kyle forced a grin as he looked over at Shane. "Since when have you been talking to Dimitri?"

"Since school ended." Shane rubbed his stomach, glaring at Dave. "We exchanged skype usernames and stuff." Artemis, Dave, and Kyle stared at him as the others reached the rink. Shane's cheeks flushed. "What?"

"You two argue over  _everything_."

"So?" Shane shrugged.

"So why are you texting?" Artemis shook her head.

"Do you have a crush on him or something?" Dave snickered.

Shane's face paled a little, and then flushed as he glared at Dave. "What was that?" Before Dave could even reply, Shane turned to Kyle. "You know I don't like him. Come on, tell him!"

Kyle sighed. "Dave, leave Shane alone."

"But he-"

"He's helping me with Christmas homework, and we debate a lot," Shane cut him off. "Nothing wrong with that."

"There's nothing wrong with liking him either," Artemis pointed out.

"Well… yeah, but…" Shane shrugged. "But I don't. So like…"

"Let's stop being mean," Kyle decided. "Dave, stop being nosy."

"Fine." Dave folded his arms.

Charlotte pushed open the door and looked out at them. "Are you coming or not?" She was already wearing a pair of skates.

"Yeah, sorry!" They made their way into the building. "Dave was bullying Shane."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes he was!" Shane insisted.

"Was not!"

* * *

Menes couldn't even groan as another drop of water hit his head. It pounded with each second that passed, swimming as though the drips were leaking into his brain. His vision blurred. He could barely tell whether he was looking at the roof or the floor anymore.

He couldn't move his arms or legs. Not that he would have been able to. He couldn't think straight – he couldn't even stop his mouth from hanging open. His motor nerves seemed to have just frozen.

His leg jerked. Or maybe they were swimming like the water in his head. He couldn't control his body, the ropes chafing against his neck, and wrists, and legs.

"Well?" He flinched, the voice echoing too loudly in the basement for him to handle. "Are you ready to talk?"

Menes tried to speak, but a wordless moan was the only thing that escaped him.

"Should I take that as a yes?"

All Richard received was another moan. Another drip of water landed on his forehead and Menes' eyes squeezed shut.

"I'll take it as a yes." Richard shut off the tap and dried Menes' head with a towel.

It was soft and fluffy, and his movements gentle.

A glass touched Menes' lips and he took a long drink. The pounding faded to a dull ache and he managed to open his eyes.

Richard seemed to sway in front of him. "Talk."

Menes licked his lips. They were still dry. "What about?" He whispered. Even with his voice that low, he heard it crack.

"When were you next planning to kill me?"

Menes groaned and closed his eyes. "I don't know."

"Maybe I should turn the tap on again for a few more hours?"

Hours? It had felt like days. "A few weeks from now," he mumbled, his words slurring together.

"How?"

He felt the glass at his lips again, and he took another drink. It was taken away before he was sated. "Coat hanger – in the attic. It's sharp." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Neck."

"I see." Richard's voice was far too soft. He didn't like it, even if it didn't hurt his head. "How were you going to open the door?"

"Steal the key," Menes whispered.

"And if I woke up?" Menes shook his head. Richard turned on the tap. Menes gritted his teeth as the first drop hit his head. " _And if I woke up_?"

"Sleeping tablets in your food!" Menes shot out. Words hurt his head and he didn't want them in his mouth for any longer than necessary.

"Good." The towel draped over his face, but the water didn't stop.

Richard turned the tap up and Menes jerked against the ropes as water cascaded over his face. He couldn't breathe – through the towel, water leaked into his mouth and he couldn't get any oxygen through his nose either.

After a minute, Richard turned it off and pulled the towel away. Menes gasped for breath, coughing and spitting out water.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you." Richard placed the towel over his face again. Menes tried to pull away, shaking his head. "This is a lesson. Because if you ever try that again…" He smirked. "I'll turn this tap on, and it won't be turning off until I feel your wrist and neck for myself and know that you've joined your parents." He turned on the tap again, and Menes screeched, thrashing under the towel as he fought for air.

This time, Richard waited until Menes' screams stopped, until his attempts to escape were desperate but small. He turned off the tap and pulled the towel away.

Menes turned his head, coughing. He burped, and a watery bile spilled onto the floor.

"Lovely." Richard untied him. "You'll clean that up later."

Menes burped again, and more bile dropped out of his mouth into the puddle.

Richard sneered and dragged him up out of the chair. Menes staggered after him down the hall, occasionally belching though spitting out no more bile. When they reached the attic, Richard shoved him inside.

He skidded on the floor and stayed there.

"Naomi," Richard called, "you'll be taking over cooking from now on. Menes will handle washing." He pulled the door closed and locked it.

Menes pushed himself up, and his arms gave out from under him. Naomi just watched him as Lucil helped him up.

"Bed," Menes muttered, and Lucil half-carried him over. Menes crashed into the mattress, ignoring the discomfort of his wet clothes.

"Menes-"

"Sh." Menes shook his head. "Head hurts. No talking."

"Are you okay?" Lucil whispered.

"M'fine." Menes rolled onto his side, grimaced, and rolled onto his back again.

"Menes-"

"Sh." Menes closed his eyes.

* * *

"Can you tell me what you're all grinning about now?" Artemis asked as they sat down for lunch. The rink had a small, greasy-food café and a few benches to sit at whenever someone wanted a break.

Mehen's grin grew and he looked over at Kyle. "Can we tell her?"

Dimitri was the only one not looking at Kyle, instead glaring at his food. Janet was trying not to giggle.

Kyle shifted in his seat. "So we were thinking about how your parents weren't going to be around for Christmas and we wanted to do something," he admitted, "and we were thinking that your house is big and we have food and stuff and-"

"Get on with it," Dimitri huffed.

"Stop being an ass." Shane glared at him.

Dimitri looked up from his food and matched Shane's glare.

"Both of you stop." Charlotte buried her face in her hands. "God I don't even know why I hang out with you."

"You love us." Mehen smiled at her.

"I love you four." Charlotte jabbed a thumb towards Dave, Shane, and Dimitri. "I never said anything about them."

"Anyway." Kyle cleared his throat. "We were thinking that we could maybe hold the Christmas party at your house?" He looked back at Artemis. "I know it's not the same as having your parents over, but-"

"I'd love that." Artemis shook her head, half-laughing. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"No, but we know you hate surprises, so…" Kyle shrugged and grinned.

"So that's a yes?" Shane's eyes lit up.

"She just said it was." Dimitri rolled his eyes.

"I know that." Shane scowled at him. "I just wanted to double check."

"Funny. It didn't look like you did to me." Dimitri picked up a chip with his fork and ate it.

"Yes, it's a yes," Artemis cut in. "Honestly, you two are really bad for one another. Maybe we should split you up."

"We're not that bad," Shane insisted.

"I'm not that bad, you mean." Dimitri ate another, singular chip.

"I hate you so much."

"Okay, once we start skating, someone's making sure these two don't get within more than two metres of one another," Dave decided.

"That's mean," Kyle laughed as both Dimitri and Shane glared at Dave.

"Yeah, stop bullying them." Mehen nudged him.

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are."

"I'm  _not_!"

"Looks like you are to me." Janet took a huge bite of her burger.

"Shut up, you're, like, twelve."

"Excuse you, I'm fourteen." She frowned at him.

"Same difference." Dave folded his arms.

"Don't say stuff like that," Mehen hissed. "You'll evoke the twelve-year-old-wrath-thing. They're like vegans."

"I'm not twelve." Janet took another bite.

Charlotte frowned at Mehen. "By vegans, do you mean people who aren't so desensitised to pain that they recognise that it's wrong to breed animals purely for consumption?"

"Found the vegan." Mehen smirked.

"You're vegetarian too! You don't get to talk."

Mehen's smirk merely grew as Artemis snorted into her food. "We've definitely found the vegan."

Charlotte folded her arms. "I'm confiscating Tumblr from you. You're just becoming a literal meme."

"Really?" Mehen's eyes widened and he looked over at Kyle. "Are you proud of me, dad? I've become a meme!"

Kyle could barely speak through his laughter. "I'm proud of you, son."

Charlotte groaned and let her head fall into her arms. "I hate you all."

* * *

When he got home from the rink, Kyle plugged his phone in and checked it for messages – he was terrible at remembering to charge it, and it had been out of power since lunch.

He ran through his Facebook notifications, and then went into his messages. One from Lucil had come in an hour or two before.

**How was your day?**

Kyle grinned.  **Pretty good. I went ice skating with some friends. How was yours?**

While he waited, Kyle began looking at his Instagram feed and posted a photo of him, Mehen, and Artemis from earlier.

After a few minutes, Lucil came back to him.  **Not great; had to spend all day with my siblings.**

Kyle cringed.  **Why not go outside?**

There was a minute or two where he left Kyle on read before he responded.  **Can't. Grounded.**

**That sucks :(**

**Yeah, no kidding.**

Kyle grimaced and went to type a reply, but he hit the button beside send instead of the send button.

The screen flashed green and a dial tone began to ring.

"Shit, no, go back!" Kyle tried to hang up.

 _"Hello?"_  Lucil spoke in little more than a whisper. " _Kyle?"_

Kyle swallowed. "Uh… hi, Lucil." He gave a nervous laugh.

" _You pressed the call button by mistake?"_  Lucil just sounded amused.

"You can't prove that." Kyle pushed his fringe out of his face. "Sorry."

" _Don't worry about it_ ," Lucil assured him. " _I don't mind."_

Kyle let out a breath and nodded. "Okay, thanks. Why are you whispering?"

There was a small pause.  _"My brother isn't feeling great, so he's asleep. Stomach bug or something. Don't want to wake him."_

"Ah, okay." Kyle cringed. "Sorry. Was the ringing loud?"

 _"Don't worry about it,"_ Lucil repeated.  _"I had it on vibrate so he didn't wake up."_

_"Malfoy, who are you talking to?"_

_"Naomi, go away, it's Kyle."_

The voices were muffled, like Lucil had covered the microphone.

Kyle chuckled. "Tell her I say hi."

" _I won't; it'll only encourage her,"_ Lucil muttered.

_"Is he saying hi to me?"_

_"Naomi, I swear-"_

_"Tell the shrimp I say hi!"_

"Hi," Kyle giggled.

_"Fine, he says hi. Now go away."_

_"Put me onto him-"_

_"No! Naomi, you'll wake Menes!"_  Naomi fell silent and Lucil uncovered the microphone. " _Sorry, Chiaro."_

Kyle swallowed. "Chiaro?"

 _"Sorry._ " Lucil sounded embarrassed now.  _"It means light in Italian."_

"Cool!" Kyle grinned. "Now I need to think of a nickname for you."

_"You don't have to-"_

"How about Mou Hitori?" He suggested. "It means other me and we like a lot of the same things, so-"

" _Isn't that a Yu-Gi-Oh! reference?"_  Amusement crept into Lucil's tone again.

Kyle's face flushed. "I'm a little bit of a weeb."

" _You sound like one_ ," Lucil chuckled.

Kyle's blush only darkened. "Do you like it?" A pause. "I'll think of something else."

 _"No; no, I like it,"_ Lucil cut in.

"Great!" Kyle grinned. There was a pause. "Lucil?"

Another pause, and he was back.  _"Sorry, Chiaro, I need to go. Night!"_

"Oh, okay. Night!"

The dial sounded, and Lucil was gone.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. Please review! See you next time, Murdering Majestors!**


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